Have a great business idea but not sure what to do next? Luckily there are people all over the world who want to help you get your business off of the ground. We have listed 10 business plan competitions that can help you do just that. Get feedback and maybe even some funds to help you make your dream a reality.
Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan Competition
Who is it for?
Anyone 18 years or older from around the globe with a business plan that shows the 45-plus market as the primary market for the product or service. Current annual revenues must be no more than $1 million.
How to enter?
Executive summary submissions are due via YouNoodle
Deadline: April 23, 2010
Link to competition: Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit - Business Plan Competition
Cisco I-Prize
Who is it for?
Anyone 18 years of age or older submitting an idea or proposal that falls into one of these categories:
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The Future of Work: New solutions that accelerate and change the way we do business
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The Connected Life: Technological inspirations that dramatically improve living conditions and disseminate culture
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New Ways to Learn: Next-generation solutions that transform when, where, and how people learn.
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The Future of Entertainment: New solutions that change how people play together
How do you enter?
Register here
Deadline: April 30,2010
Link to competition: Cisco I - Prize
Conoco Phillips Energy Prize Contest
Who is it for?
Legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are at least 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
Each individual entrant or team of entrants must submit a comprehensive proposal (no more than 2,000 words) for a Concept, which for purposes of this Contest is defined as follows: a technology, process or method that identifies a new alternative and/or renewable energy source or a new way to develop an alternative and/or renewable energy source; determines a way to use any type of energy source more efficiently; and/or combats climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
How to enter?
Enter online - http://www.contesttechnology.com/energyprize10/
Enter by mail - send your Submission and Registration Information to:
Conoco Phillips Energy Prize Contest Entries
P.O.Box 9302
Medford, NY 11763-9302
Deadline: May 21,2010
Link to competition: Conoco Phillips Energy Prize Contest
Clean Tech Open Business Competition
Who is it for?
United States residents, citizens, or legal aliens looking to turn their clean tech idea into a thriving business can apply. Teams must consist of one Team Leader and at least one other team member (two people total). All entries must meet one of the competition’s six clean technology category definitions and be a startup with less than $500,000 from outside funding (some exceptions apply).
How do you enter?
Register here
Deadline: May 22,2010
Link to competition: Clean Tech Open
IBM SmartCamp
Who is it for?
SmartCamp is open to early stage companies. Early stage means a company not more than 3 years old as of March 1st, 2010 with a maximum turnover of USD $1,000,000 in the last 12 months. Companies invited to the interview stage or beyond must be able to produce a current tax clearance certificate.
How do you enter?
Applying to Smart Camp could not be simpler! Simply visit http://smartcamp.seedcamp.com and register your company.
Deadline: Registration opens March 18, 2010 – 5 companies from each participating city will be announced June 3, 2010.
Link to competition: IBM Smart Camp
WJF Socially Responsible Business Plan Competitions
Who is it for?
Any business that:
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Is for-profit
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Is less than one year from your first revenue (or not have launched at all)
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Cannot have accepted more than $20,000 in equity or debt investment from individuals who are not part of the day-to-day management team.
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Seeks both financial viability and a defined social and/or environmental goal. Our baseline for financial viability is a firm where managers make at least a middle-class living, employees make at least a living wage and vendors and customers are generally satisfied with their interactions with the firm.
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Can be described in English. (We hope to remove this requirement eventually.)
How do you enter?
To submit your executive summary, send it by email to competition@williamjamesfoundation.org Entries must be readable by Microsoft Word 2003 or Adobe PDF reader.
Deadline: June 4th, 2010
Link to competition: WJF Business Plan Competition
MassChallenge
Who is it for?
Anyone (although they say their goal to support high-potential seed and early stage start ups) that has:
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Less than $500K of aggregate investment to date (grants not included, except for non-profit entrants)
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Less than $1M in revenue over last 12 months
How to enter?
Deadline: Mid-June 2010
Shopify Build a Business Contest
Who is it for?
Anyone with a Shopify online store, winner will be judged on two highest months of online store revenue
How to enter?
Create a Shopify store account online
Deadline: Competition runs through June 30, 2010
Link to competition: Shopify - Build a Business
NYC Next Idea 2010
Who is it for?
Graduate Track:
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Teams with 2-5 participants
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Team members must be graduate students or alumni of a participating university
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Each team must have at least one full time or part-time graduate student
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Preference for business ideas in: Financial Services, Green, Not-for-profit, Bioscience, Fashion, and Media and Technology
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Business plans must have a NYC operational and/or marketing component
Undergraduate Track:
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Teams with 2-5 participants
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Team members must be undergraduate students or alumni of a participating university
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Each team must have at least one full time or part-time undergraduate student
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Preference for business ideas in: Financial Services, Green, Not-for-profit, Bioscience, Fashion, and Media and Technology
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Business plans must have a NYC operational and/or marketing component
How to enter
Enter here -
NYC Next Idea 2010
Deadline: October 1, 2010
LES Foundation 2011 Competition
Who is it for?
To participate entrants must submit a comprehensive business plan with a core intellectual property (IP) licensing component. Entries are evaluated by seasoned industry professionals, who provide valuable feedback to each team. Entries are judged on a variety of factors including attractiveness of the venture, quality of the product/service offered, market opportunity and investment potential.
How to Enter:
Contact Linda Chao at bplan@lesfoundation.org
Deadline: March 4, 2011
Link to competition: LES Foundation 2011 - Business Plan Competition
